Twine ball



G. L. RICE.

TWINEBALL. APPLICATION FILED 115.24.; 191.9.

1,340,254. Patented y 18, 1920.

3 SHEETS SHEET 1- T W l N E B A L L.

AP LICATION LED FEB. 24, 1919. 1,340,254. Patented M y 18, 1920.

3 EEEEEEEEEEEE 2.

G. L. RICE.

TWINE BALL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24, 1919.. 1,340,254. a ented May 18, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. RICE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T INTERNATIONAL HARVESTERCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TWINE BALL.

Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed February 24, 1919. Serial No. 278,705.

To all whom it may concern:

Belt known that I, Gnouou L. RICE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Twine Balls, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to twine balls and to methods of stacking twineballs to form a package of twine for shipment.

One object of the invention is to provide a ball of twine containing amaximum amount of twine in a given space, and a ball of such formationthat it will resist lateral. strains which tend to cause it to collapse.

Another object is to provide a ball of such a nature that all of thetwine comprising the ball may be unwound therefrom without snarling.

A further object is to provide a ball so wound that it may be combinedwith, or stacked with, other balls having similar winding, in such amanner that the cubical space occupied by the balls so stacked isreduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a ball of such formation that it may bereadily combined with other balls of the same formation to make apackage in which the balls will resist lateral displacement.

And a still further object is to provide a method of so packaging twineballs of the particular formation specified that the cubical spaceoccupied by the balls is reduced to a minimum and the balls are firmlypositioned against lateral displacement.

These objects are attained by forming a twine ball having an outerwinding provided with outwardly projecting end portions so formed thatone end portion of each ball differs in size from the opposite endportion of the same ball, whereby the larger end portion of one ball maybe stacked against the smaller end portion of the adjacent ball, thusconserving space by nesting the end portion of the balls and alsoinsurin the balls against lateral displacement.

Iore specifically stated, the objects are attained in the presentinstance by forming a twine ball having a cover winding made up of aplurality of turns, the opposite ends of each of the individual turnsbeing tangential to circles of different diameters,

thereby forming end portions for the balls of different size.

t The method, more specifically stated, consists of stacking the ballsso formed in such a. way that the end turns f the cover por tion of oneball which are tangential to a circle of one diameter, will bepositioned adacent the end turns of the cover portion of another ball,which are tangential to a circle of different diameter. This results inthe nesting oi the end portions of the balls.

v I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings one embodiment of myinvention and in these drawings;-

Figure is a side elevational view partly broken away showing two twineballs and the cover windings of these balls, the balls being shown instacked position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of the im proved twine ball;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the opposite end of the ball; and

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a package of twine balls, a portion ofthe package being broken away to show the method of stacking the balls.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the particular features of theinvention have been illustrated in connection with what is known as thecover winding of a twine ball, although it is not necessary that thesefeatures be limited to the cover winding. The inner or main windingillustrated in the drawings is the well known type of universal windingsuch as illustrated in Patent No. 480,158 to S. W. Wardwell, J r., datedAugust 2, 1892, and this winding need not be described in detail. Theinner winding is close or compact and contains a maximum amount of twinefor the space occupied, and for this reasonthis form of winding or somesimilar form is utilized for the main winding;

As is well known, the main winding is formed by means of spiral turns oftwine which run back and forth with respect to the length of the ball.Upon the completion of this part of the ball which consistsof a cylindrical body 10, there are left of necessity projecting portions 11comprising the outer turns of the twine, and these portions in unwindinghave given considerable trouble from snarling and collapsing. To supportthese outer turns and also to prevent the Inngitudinal bulging of theball due to lateral pressure, I have provided in the present instance anouter layer 12 which is tightly wound around the inner ball 11) and ispreterably of the open formation illustrated in the drawings. As shownin Fig. l, the end walls 13 of the cylindrical 10 are Hat, and the endportions of the cover winding 12 fit closely against these flat ends.The outer surfaces of the ends of the cover windin are inclined withrespect to the flat ends 0 the main winding, as shown at 14, and have atruss action whereby the ends of the outer cover exert an inwardpressure on the flat ends of the main portion 10 of the ball. Thisinward pressure has a material effect in resisting tendcniiy of theinner ball to bulge when the ball is subjected to lateral pressure.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the oppo site ends of each of theindividual turns of the cover winding are tangential to circles ofdifferent diameters, the ends of the turns at one end of the ball beingtangential to a circle having a smaller diameter than the ends of theturns at the opposite end of the ball. This provides an uncovered areaat each end of the body 10, one of greater diameter than the other andboth of greater diameter than the axial opening in the body, with theturns of the cover winding 12 banked around the margins of the uncoveredarea as best shown in Fig. 1.

The showing in Fig. 1 of one ball stacked upon the to of another ball,illustrates the positions 0 the end portions of the cover windings oftwo adjacent balls when these balls are stacked for shipping. In thisfigure it will be seen that the larger uncovered area of one ball ispositioned adjacent the smaller uncovered area of the other ball, theend turns which are banked or bunched at the thickest portion of thewinding of one ball being positioned over the thinner portion of the endof the adjacent ball. Thus the end portions of the adjacent balls arenested and the balls are so stacked as to resist lateral pressure.

From the above description of the construction of the balls and also ofthe showing in Fig. 1, it is believed that the method of stacking theballs will be clear, but this method may be described briefly asfollows:

After forming a plurality of balls having end portions of theconstruction illustrated and described, namely, balls having endportions of difierent size, the balls are stacked one on top of theother in such a manner that the small end-of one ball is positionedwithin the large end of the adjacent ball and after a sufiicient uantityof balls have been so stacked the pac age of ballsis wrapped in anydesired manner, as with burlap, and thetwine consisting of a formed withflat ends an balls are securely tied together in the position in whichthey are stacked. This package construction is clearly illustrated inFig. 4 of the drawings.

It will be readily seen that the package so formed has great rniness andthat the balls will resist any relative lateral displacement. it will bealso seen that by nesting the balls in the manner described, the cubicalcon tents of the package has been reduced to a minimum, and this featureis of great importance when the paclmgcs are to be shipped.

\Vhile I have in the above specification described one embodiment of myinvention, it should be understood that the invention is capable ofmodification. and that modilica tions may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scopc of the invention as cw pressed in the followingclaims:

I. An article o'l' manulhctui'e 'llllllil'lxiill ii a ball of twinehaving a Vllll .lil[,fll body and a cover winding thereon which leaw:-.differing circular areas at each end of the ball uncovered, the oppositeturns of ea h a of the individual windings of said (over beingtangential to said areas.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a ball of twine, having acylindrical body and a cover winding thereon which leaves difi'eringcircular areas at each end of the ball uncovered, said turns formingends for said cover winding of trussed formation, and the opposite turnsof each of the individual windings of said cover being tangential tosaid areas.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a ball of twine comprising a clindrica-l body having wound portions of di erent descriptions includingan inner closely Wound portion having flat ends and an outer coverportion tightly embracing said inner portion and leaving openings ofdiffering diameters exposing the inner portion at each end, the oppositeends of each of the individual windings of said cover portion beingtangential to said'openings.

4. As an article of manufacture, a ball of twine consisting of acylindrical body formed with an axial opening of substantially uniformdiameter and having a cover winding formed to. leave an uncovered areaat each end of the body around said axial opening, with one uncoveredarea larger than the other.

5. As an article of manufacture, a ball of gylindrical body an axialopening, and a cover winding thereon formed to leave an uncovered areaat each end of the body of greater diameter than said opening and withone area of greater diameter than the other, the turns of the coverbeing thickly banked around the margins ofsaid areas and becomingthinner toward the winding edges of the body, whereby the end having thesmaller uncovered area is adapted to nest with its central portion inthe depression of the larger area on another ball.

6. The method of forming a twine package which consists of forming ballswith opposite end portions of difl'erent size, and in stacking the ballsso formed with the lar er end of one of the balls adjacent to an nestedwith the smaller end of the adjacent ball.

7. The method of forming a twine package which consists of formin ballswith cover windings having a plurality of turns, the opposite turns ofthe individual windings being tangential to circles of differentdiameters exposin each end of the ball, and of stacking the ba 13' withthe end of one ball having a circle of one diameter adjacent I the endof another ball having a circle of different diameter.

8. The method of forming a twine pack age which consists of formingballs with windings provided with end portions tapering in thicknessfrom the central portion of the ball outwardly, the thickest portion ofthe cover winding at one end of the ball being located a differentdistance from the center of the ball from the thickest portion at theopposite end of the ball, and of stacking the balls with the end of oneball having its thickest portion a certain distance from the centeradjacent the end of another ball having its thickest portion adifi'erent distance from the center.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE RICE.

